Create More Than You Consume

Starting this Monday, I have been keeping a log of every minute that I spend creating (writing, editing, doing entrepreneurial stuff) and consuming (playing video games, watching TV). The log, or Time Bank, as I’m calling it, is a dynamic number that increases with each minute of creation and decreases with each minute of consumption. If I run out of time for fun things, I have to immediately stop until I’ve earned enough time back by being creative.

If this sounds like an insanely complicated substitute for self-discipline, it is.

Earlier this year I wrote about my ADHD diagnosis and how it’s prompted me to think more critically about the systems I have in place to keep myself on track. And boy have I tried a lot of systems - productivity journals, color-coded planners, sticky note reminders covering my entire home like I’m in Memento. I love creating complex systems and workflows. The problem is, I struggle to stick with them.

The Time Bank System™(Ok, it’s not really Trademarked, but I think it’s cool) has been great because of its simplicity. I even had Claude make me a minimalist app that tracks everything for me.

(This shit blew my mind, by the way. Claude built and installed the app on my phone in like twenty minutes.)

Where most people might be fine just saying to themselves “hey, you can’t goof around until the work is done,” I find I’m more successful when I have something else keeping me accountable. Sure, I could just ignore the Time Bank as easily as I do the post-it note on the pint of Tillamook Campfire Peanut Butter Cup in my freezer that says “DO NOT EAT THIS TIM!” but that tiny extra step of accountability makes a big difference for how I think about my time.

I want to be creative to fill the Time Bank up. Psychologically, it feels good and safe to do so. There have been so many weeks where Friday rolls around, I realize that I’ve done nothing productive, and I feel really bad about myself. With this system, if I’m out of time by Wednesday and I really want to play some Pokemon Champions, too bad. I can’t. Not until I bang out a few pages or do some script editing. David Cain, one of my favorite “general life guidance" bloggers, says that wise people have rules for themselves. I don’t know how wise I am, because I need an outside entity to help me enforce my own rules, but I do agree with this advice.

Not to be all “adulting is hard” about it, but it is absolutely more difficult to be disciplined without the structure of school, coaches, parents or caregivers, or even just a community of people united under the same goal (like colleges or jobs where people actually care about the work). Any system of accountability is better than nothing. And for me, I found that less is often more. After I spend thirty hours designing an intricate productivity system on Notion, I’m kinda tired of using it.

If this system sounds like it could help you, reach out. I can ask Claude to make you an app of your own. It’ll even count towards my Create for the week. And yes, writing this blog post counts as well. 

Actually, I think I’ll have enough to hop back into Pokemon now, so that’ll wrap up this post.